Panthers interim HC Steve Wilks said Monday that QB P.J. Walker will start this weekend's game vs. the Falcons, even if QBs Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold are ready to return from their ankle injuries. Walker was efficient in Sunday's shocking win over the Bucs, completing 16 of 22 passes (73%) for 177 yards (8.1 YPA), 2 TDs and 0 INTs. Most importantly, he got WR D.J. Moore going. The pair connected on 7 of 10 targets for 69 yards and 1 score. Walker remains a bottom-barrel fantasy option, but Moore is back in the WR3 mix for Week 8.
Bengals WR Tyler Boyd erupted for 8 grabs, 155 yards and 1 score against the Falcons in Week 7. The Bengals talked about getting Boyd more involved — and they delivered. Joe Burrow fed him 9 targets (21.4%) — 2nd most on the team behind Ja’Marr Chase. Boyd scored on a deep ball with help from a defender that tripped and fell. Still, the Bengals’ shift to a more pass-happy approach should provide a boost to him going forward. He's still more WR4 than WR3 when this offense is healthy. But Boyd certainly belongs on rosters in all 10+ team leagues. Next up is a road matchup with Cleveland.
Falcons TE Kyle Pitts tallied 3 catches for 9 yards in Sunday’s loss at Cincinnati. Marcus Mariota tossed only 13 passes, and Pitts actually drew 5 targets (38.4%). That’s where the positives end, though. Pitts couldn't quite secure the ball while he was over the goal line on a play that should have gone for 6. So, the 2nd-year TE remains stuck on 1 season-long score. He’s also been held under 30 yards in all but 1 game this season.
Browns TE David Njoku suffered a high-ankle sprain in the Week 7 loss to the Ravens, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Schefter gives Njoku a 2-5 week timetable for return, but high-ankle sprains tend to keep guys out at least 4 weeks. Njoku is only worth stashing in deep leagues and TE-premium leagues. His absence leaves Harrison Bryant as Cleveland's lead TE -- and a potential low-end fantasy spot starter.
Falcons WR Drake London posted only 1 catch (1 target) for 9 yards in Week 7. He played 85% of the snaps but watched as Marcus Mariota attempted only 13 passes in a blowout loss. London’s now been held to 40 yards or fewer in 4 straight. Unless Atlanta’s pass volume increases, it’ll be tough to trust the rookie as a WR3. Week 8 turns up a meeting with Carolina.
The MRI on Jets RB Breece Hall's knee revealed a torn ACL and a meniscus injury, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Hall will miss the rest of the 2022 season -- and the meniscus injury could mean a longer rehab. Hall has about 10-and-a-half months before the start of the 2023 campaign. We'll keep an eye on his progress. The good news is that Hall has age on his side, turning just 22 next May. We still like him as a top-5 dynasty RB. His absence leaves Michael Carter as New York's clear lead back. We'll see if the 5-2 Jets make an addition at the position. Carter doesn't project as a workhorse.
Falcons QB Marcus Mariota attempted 13 passes in a blowout loss at Cincinnati. It’s official — nobody is more committed to the run than HC Arthur Smith. And with only 45 total offensive plays, it’s no surprise Mariota finished with just 124 yards and 1 score. His lone score came on a 75-yard deep ball to Damiere Byrd. Mariota added 31 yards rushing but remains a superflex option only. Next up is a home matchup with Carolina.
Seahawks HC Pete Carroll said in a Monday radio appearance that WR D.K. Metcalf suffered a patellar tendon injury in the win over the Chargers. Metcalf won't need surgery on the knee, according to Carroll, but it's still unclear how long he'll be sidelined. We'll keep you posted on the situation, but Metcalf owners shouldn't plan on having him in Week 8 fantasy lineups.
Saints RB Alvin Kamara posted 7 catches and 105 scoreless yards in a Week 7 loss at Arizona. Kamara has now caught 6+ balls in 3 straight -- each alongside Andy Dalton. However, he's also gone 5 appearances without finding the end zone. On the year, Kamara has only 3 carries inside the 10 compared to 3 for Taysom Hill and 2 for Mark Ingram. The RB11 in PPG, Kamara will look for his first score this week vs. the Raiders.
Saints WR Chris Olave stepped up in Week 7 with 7 catches for 106 yards. The rookie has now hit 50 yards in 5 straight, a stretch that includes 53 targets. Of course, it’s helped that Jarvis Landry has missed the past 3 games; Michael Thomas has missed the last 4. But watching film on Olave, it’s clear that he deserves a sizable weekly role. The analytics back it up, as he ranks 9th in yards per route run (2.46) among 82 qualifiers. We'll see about the statuses of Olave’s veteran teammates. But even if they're active, Olave will profile as a WR3+ for Sunday’s home matchup with Vegas.
Cardinals TE Zach Ertz caught 2 of 4 targets for 21 yards in a Week 7 win over New Orleans. Ertz entered Thursday night with 6+ catches in 5 straight matchups. Week 7 did turn up the return of DeAndre Hopkins, although Arizona was without Marquise Brown (foot). Brown is set to miss several more weeks, while Ertz's lowly production can be chalked up to a strong Saints TE defense. He’s in a fine rebound spot this week at Minnesota.
Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins made his season-debut in Week 7, snagging 10 of 14 targets for 103 yards. Oh yeah, he's back. Hopkins’ 14 targets represented a wild 48.2% team target share. While he faced a Saints secondary minus CB Marshon Lattimore, it’s clear that Hopkins will be leaned on heavily with Marquise Brown (foot) sidelined. The veteran is a fine WR2 for the road ahead.
Cardinals QB Kyler Murray was efficient in Week 7, posting a 69% completion rate on 29 attempts vs. New Orleans. Kyler added only 1 TD in the win — a 5-yarder to Greg Dortch. He simply didn’t need to carry the team after Andy Dalton tossed 2 pick-6s in the 2nd quarter. The big takeaway here is that DeAndre Hopkins is back, and he looked 100% in his season debut. Even with Marquise Brown (foot) out for the foreseeable future, Murray should stick in the top-8 mix with help from his rushing. He's now hit 30 yards in 3 straight and retains upside well beyond that.
Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert handled 16 of 23 RB carries for Miami, tallying 79 yards in the Sunday night win over the Steelers. He added 4 catches for 30 yards and a TD among 5 targets, snagging the team's only score. Chase Edmonds got less than half as much playing time: 18 snaps vs. 44. He finished with 7-17 rushing and no catches on 2 targets. Edmonds is solely a handcuff for fantasy purposes, while Mostert is looking like a weekly RB2. He gets a terrific matchup with Detroit in Week 8.
Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa returned Sunday night for his 1st game action since the scary concussion at Cincinnati in Week 4. He completed 21 of 35 passes in the win over the Steelers for 261 yards and 1 TD. Tagovailoa took nary a sack, avoided turnovers and even ran for 15 yards on 4 rushes. WR Tyreek Hill led the offense with 13 targets and 7 catches (for 72 yards), while WR Jaylen Waddle paced the group with 88 yards (on 5 targets, 4 receptions). TE Mike Gesicki drew 7 targets for the 2nd straight game but managed just 3 catches for 27 yards. The whole group gets a high-ceiling matchup at Detroit in Week 8, with solid-to-good spots the next 2 weeks as well vs. Chicago and Cleveland.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth returned from his 1-game concussion absence to lead the team with 8 catches and 75 yards on 9 targets in Sunday night's loss to the Dolphins. Miami has presented 1 of the league's best scoring matchups for TEs on the year. Freiermuth has also done well on targets, drawing 7+ in 4 of the 5 games he has played and not left early. Sunday night even found him playing his 2nd-smallest snap share of the season. Week 8 brings an Eagles matchup that's challenging all the Steelers but might favor Freiermuth's target volume. He's a weekly starter for most fantasy football lineups at what has been a tough position to navigate.
Steelers QB Kenny Pickett threw for just 257 yards, 1 TD and 3 INTs in Sunday night's loss to the Dolphins. The 72.7% completion rate was nice, but the mere 5.8 yards per pass attempt reveals that the rookie passer couldn't get anything going deep. WR Chase Claypool said after the game that he believes the offense needs "more go balls" to take advantage of the WR talent. We can't argue with that, though it remains to be seen whether Pickett can support his wideouts in that area. Claypool followed a strong Week 6 with a pedestrian 5-41 receiving line on 8 targets. WR Diontae Johnson caught 5 of his team-high 10 targets for 42 yards. WR George Pickens caught all 6 of his looks for 61 yards, including an athletic grab in the end zone for the team's only TD. Pittsburgh gets a tough matchup at Philadelphia in Week 8.
Steelers RB Najee Harris didn't do a whole lot for your fantasy football lineup in Sunday night's loss to the Dolphins, but his workload was encouraging. Harris carried 17 times for 65 yards and caught 3 of 4 targets for 15 more. He played nearly 4 times as many snaps as rookie backup Jaylen Warren and ran a route on 61.2% of QB Kenny Pickett's dropbacks. That's Harris' highest mark of the season. Week 8 brings a difficult matchup (for the whole team) against the Eagles, followed by a Week 9 bye.
Niners LB Dre Greenlaw left Sunday's loss to the Chiefs with a right-calf injury and did not return. If he misses further time, the snaps would likely go to Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles. He stepped in for 56% playing time against K.C. LB Azeez Al-Shaair is already on IR with an MCL sprain that's expected to sideline him beyond Week 10.
Niners QB Jimmy Garoppolo racked up 303 yards and 2 TDs (plus an INT) in Sunday's lopsided loss to the Chiefs. He went 25-of-37 passing (67.6%, 8.2 yards per attempt) before turning it over to QB Brock Purdy to close out the game. WR Brandon Aiyuk led the team in targets (11) and catches (7), tallying 82 yards. TE George Kittle caught 6 of 9 targets for 98 yards and a TD. WR Ray-Ray McCloud snagged the other TD, among 4 catches for 65 yards. WR Deebo Samuel caught 5 of his 7 looks for 42 yards, adding 2 yards on his lone carry. San Francisco gets a Week 8 rematch with a Rams team it hit up for 327 total yards in a 24-9 Week 4 victory. The Rams have been a tough scoring matchup for QBs and TEs but slightly positive for WRs this season. Samuel has gone over 90 receiving yards and 100 total yards in 4 straight regular-season meetings with the Rams.
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